Middle East

Iran’s purchases will likely be limited, by both economic and geopolitical constraints, including the impact of US sanctions and the coronavirus pandemic and caution on the part of potential suppliers.

By becoming a major arms supplier to Iran, Beijing would unnecessarily antagonize the United States and alienate several Iranian rivals across the Middle East, many of which are also strategic partners for China.

An Israeli perspective.

There is one that Mustafa al-Kadhimi must be the most cautious in tackling—the management of expectations.

Iraq’s months-long quest to form a national government reached a major milestone on May 6 when a partial government under new prime minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi was approved by lawmakers. Al-Kadhimi—who previously served as Iraq’s national intelligence chief—was nominated by Iraqi President Barham Salih on April 9 after two previous nominees failed to form a government. Although fifteen of the major cabinet posts were approved by the parliament, several others have not yet been confirmed—including foreign affairs, justice, oil, agriculture, and trade—due to failure to reach an agreement between major parties on their allocation.

This Atlantic Council Iraq Initiative report by Nonresident Senior Fellow Dr. C. Anthony Pfaff analyzes the current challenges in the US-Iraq relationship and presents policy recommendations.